Sunday, June 24, 2018 – Eph 6:17,
The Armor of God, Pt. 31,
The Sword of the Spirit, The Word of
God, Pt. 2,
Lesson # 18-065
Grace Fellowship Church
Pastor/Teacher, Jim Rickard
Stand in Warfare –
Eph 6:10-20.
3. The Equipment, vs. 13-17.
Vs. 17, “And take THE
HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
“Sword,” MACHAIRA, μάχαιρα, “a larger knife, or small sword.”
Figuratively, power and authority of governing officials, Acts 12:2; Rom 8:35; 13:4; Heb 11:34, 37. It represents
hand-to-hand combat, speaking of the intimacy of our spiritual warfare with the
temptations in our soul from within and from without.
“Word,” RHEMA, ῥῆμα, “a thing spoken, word, saying, a speech,
discourse, etc.” It is typically a single text or passage, that which is
spoken. It is what God has spoken, His Word, His Wisdom, and His Power, found
in your Bible. It means the doctrines, promises, principles, and precepts of
God revealed and taught in the Bible,
John 3:34; 8:47; 17:8; Acts 10:37; Rom 10:17; Eph 5:26; 6:17; 1 Peter 1:25.
RHEMA was used in Eph 5:26, speaking
to the cleansing effect the Word of God has over the soul, especially the
Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Armor of God speaks to the
believer post-salvation; therefore, we are experientially cleansed from sin and
future temptation by the Word of God, the Sword of the Spirit. It is used to
root out and stop from penetrating the temptations of Satan and his cosmic
system that can easily defeat your spiritual walk.
No soldier would consider himself
to be well armed for battle or prepared to face the enemy, if he did not have a
sword, because he knows he will be defeated. Likewise, without the Sword of the
Spirit, which is the Word of God, we will not be able to face the enemy and
defeat him. In fact, all the other pieces of the armor depend on the Word of
God. For example, how can you have the “Shield of Faith” when you do not know
the Word of God? Or how will you guard your mind with the “Helmet of
Salvation,” if you do not know the word of God. When the enemy attacks your
mind, you need the Word of God to defeat him.
The sword given and empowered by
the Holy Spirit to be wielded by the Christian is typically thought of as an
offensive weapon. Yet, the other pieces of armament are defensive, (helmet,
breastplate, shield, girdle, and shoes). That is to say, the main part of our
warfare consists in defense, in resistance, and in keeping with what we have,
in spite of everybody, men and devils alike, who attempt to take it from us.
That is why we are exhorted in Rev 3:11,
“…. hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Nevertheless, the sword, as you
know, is also used defensively to protect you from the thrust of the enemy.
Just like in ancient times, the sword was the main weapon of warfare;
similarly, the Word of God is the primary weapon we are to use to defend and
attack the enemy. Therefore, it has a dual effect, to block the attack of the
enemy and to thrust a killing blow at him.
As the Roman MACHAIRA was a double
edged sword, we see the dual nature, both offensive and defensive, of the Sword
of the Spirit, which in actuality is the Word of God resident within your soul,
cf. Heb 4:12; Rev 1:16; 2:12.
Rev 1:16, “In His right hand He held seven stars, and out
of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun
shining in its strength.”
Psa 149:6, “Let the high praises of God be in their mouth,
and a two-edged sword in their hand.”
The Word of God protects you from
the penetrating temptations of Satan’s cosmic system, including your Old Sin
Nature, and works to defeat them from continuing their relentless attacks.
Therefore, the Word of God serves both for attack and to parry the thrusts of
the enemy. Christ used it as such in His temptations with the result of
defeating Satan, Mat 4:11.
Mat 4:11 “Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came
and began to minister to Him.”
Satan cannot withstand the Sword
of the Spirt when it is edged and wielded by faith. As such, the faith that
Jesus showed in Mat 4:4, was
confirmed, and the Biblical principle of the effect of the Sword of the Spirit,
i.e., the Word of God, is: Whenever the devil is resisted he must yield, James 4:7.
James 4:7, “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and
he will flee from you.”
To submit is to place or arrange
yourself under, as a good soldier places himself under an officer of higher
rank. It is a voluntary act of humility to submit to God via the intake and
application of His Word. As we noted above, when Jesus was tempted by Satan in
the wilderness, He provided an example of how believers can triumph. He
resisted Satan with Scripture, cf. Luke
4:4, 8, 12.
“That word, lodged in our hearts, brings to us a revelation
of duty and a chart of life, because it brings a loving recognition of the
character of our Father, and a glad obedience to His will. If that word dwell
in us richly, in all wisdom, and if we do not dull the edge of the sword by our
own unworthy handling of it, we shall find it pierce to the 'dividing asunder
of joints and marrow,' and the evil within us will either be cast out from us,
or will shrivel itself up, and bury itself deep in dark corners.” (Expositions of Holy Scripture.)
In this imagery, we also note that
a soldier would spend many years learning to use the sword effectively both
offensively and defensively, as it had a double-edged blade and was designed
for close-quarter, one and one fighting. For us to defeat the enemy in
spiritual warfare, we must study the Word of God diligently; daily in fact, as
the Berean’s did, Acts 17:10-11.
The Christian needs only spiritual
weapons. The spiritual Sword with which he can defend himself is the Word of
God empowered and enabled by the Holy Spirit. Interestingly, our English word
for sword is “word” plus an “S,” because it is the Spirit who gives us the
Word, empowers and enables it, giving it its sharpness and duality. As such, it is the “SWord” with
which the Spirit subdues the impulses to sin and proves its own power and
efficacy. It is the Sword of the Spirit, because the Spirit of God gives it and
inspires it.
“The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,”
subdues and mortifies evil desires and blasphemous thoughts as they rise
within; and answers unbelief and error as they assault from without. A single
text, well understood, and rightly applied, at once destroys a temptation or an
objection, and subdues the most formidable adversary.” (Matthew Henry Concise Bible Commentary.)
In addition, the Spirit’s aid is
needed for its interpretation.
John 3:34, “For He whom God has sent speaks the words of
God; for He gives the Spirit without measure.”
1 Cor 2:13, “Which things we also speak, not in words
taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual
with spiritual.”
“A material sword pierces the body, but the Word of God
pierces the heart. The more you use a physical sword, the duller it becomes;
but using God's Word only makes it sharper in our lives. A physical sword requires
the hand of a soldier, but the sword of the Spirit has its own power, for it is
"living and powerful" (Heb. 4:12). A physical sword wounds to hurt
and kill, while the sword of the Spirit wounds to heal and give life. But when
we use the sword against Satan, we are out to deal him a blow that will cripple
him and keep him from hindering God's work. The Spirit wrote the Word, and the
Spirit wields the Word as we take it by faith and use it.” (Bible Exposition Commentary.)
With Bible doctrine in the soul,
you are never off-balance and you are consistently putting pressure on Satan.
The believer takes the offensive by daily positive volition toward Bible
doctrine. The defensive side deflects the thrusts of temptation, while the
offensive side defeats the attacker. The best thing the defensive side can do
is avoid defeat, and the best thing the offensive side can do is win the
tactical victory. The Royal Family was not designed for defeat but for victory.
1 John 5:4, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the
world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”
John 6:63, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh
profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.”
“It is not without reason that the most necessary
instruments of warfare, a sword and a shield, are compared to faith, and to the
Word of God. In the spiritual combat, these two hold the highest rank. By faith
we repel all the attacks of the devil, and by the Word of God the enemy himself
is slain. If the Word of God shall have its efficacy upon us through faith, we
shall be more than sufficiently armed both for opposing the enemy and for
putting him to flight.” (Calvin's
Commentaries).
For us to come out victorious
against the enemy, we must put on the whole armor of God. We cannot afford to
let any piece of the armor of God be missing as that’s the area the enemy will
attack us. God has given us what we need to defeat the enemy. Therefore, if we
are defeated by the enemy, it is not because God has not given you the armor to
stand and to fight.
“I always enjoy visiting places that have old weapons,
especially swords. Sometimes you can see the really big swords in the museums.
Some of them weigh more than I do. What many think, as they hold or look on
these massive swords, is that they are interesting but practically useless for
modern warfare. No one would recommend them to be issued to troops today. How
similar this is to their opinion of the Bible. Many people admire the Bible and
may put the Bible on display in their homes somewhere (normally a huge Bible),
but some of these same people never use the Bible. Why? They deem it like an
ancient sword, useless for modern warfare.
This should not surprise us. In the garden the evil one
raised doubt and suspicion about God's word. But do not be deceived. You can
trust God's Word. You need God's Word. Do not go into battle without a sword.
Read it. Meditate on it. Pray it. Proclaim it.” (Christ-Centered Exposition.)
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